Globe says they can give me back my number within the week. Why it takes a week, I don't know. >:-(
Here's what happened, in case this experience can help other people avoid getting their stuff snatched in the future. I was in the Cubao-Crossing bus going home.
- Snatcher Guy sat beside me in the bus. My bag was on my lap and the zipper opening was on the side near him. My phone was right by the zipper opening. (Careless, I know.)
- Snatcher Guy pretended to twiddle with the aircon. He reached up and was twiddling with the aircon for so long I got irritated and looked up.
- Turns out he was using his other hand to pick from my bag. Bye-bye phone.
- He changed seats and made someone with him (let's call him Cahoots Guy) sit beside me. So I wouldn't be able to stand up and stop him. (Not sure if Cahoots Guy had knife.) I told Cahoots Guy that Snatcher Guy stole my phone. Cahoots Guy was bad actor. I hope my split second of sincere trust in stranger pricked his conscience. But maybe not.
- The snatchers got off at Guadalupe before the bridge. There were three of them. I wonder how many victims there were.
Some open letters:
Dear Big-Discount-Phone-Buying Public,
Please don't patronize those places where they sell phones/gadgets of dubious origin. It encourages more snatching.
Dear Soon-To-Be-President,
I hope what you stand for really seeps down to the people so that we'll have a more commuter-friendly nation. "Hindi ako magnanakaw" was your, um, campaign slogan, and it seems most people voted you for that. I find it very ironic that my phone got snatched just when all the news headlines are blaring how you're leading in the partial results. Please do something to really eradicate corruption, not just in politics.
Dear friends,
Please pray that Snatcher Guy and Co. find better things to do with their time. And that they get pricked by their conscience. I think they won't get much from selling my phone because it's a relatively cheap model (that happens to be on sale now in Samsung) and is network-locked (i.e. someone has to pay to make it open-line). I got it for free when I signed up for a prepaid plan. I am really annoyed that they've been using my number to bother you guys. And of course, I hate the inconvenience, but on the bright side, I'm lucky to be ok.
3 comments:
Oh my. That is both sad and infuriating. I think it's so commonplace that everyone gets to be a victim at some time or knows some people close who became victims. My wife got victimized a long time ago in somewhat the same circumstances as yours. I myself lost a wallet to a pickpocket. I don't know if these petty criminals are driven by laziness, unavoidable poverty, or lack of law enforcement. Maybe a little bit of everything. Maybe we should be like Singapore with a tough law enforcement that gives it one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Well, it also has one of the highest per-capita incomes. But really, just going about our day-to-day grind gives us a realistic eye-view of the state of the nation. Noynoy's work is cut-out for him, and I guess it's not as simple as 'kung walang korap, walang mahirap'. I guess it should be more like - 'kung wala nang magnanakaw, wala nang problema'. I hope he figures that out.
Hi WillyJ! Yup, super annoying. When I got my phone snatched, I told my friends, and turns out each of them has had a phone stolen or knew someone. It's THAT rampant.
This is tough work for Noynoy, yes.
Short term goal might be tighter law enforcement etc. but that can only solve so much.
I'm thinking if he sticks with the RH bill he won't get very far solving the corruption. In fact, he'll add to it in the long run... it sounds like a long shot, but i think once the RH bill becomes a law and starts ruining the meaning of family, there will be more people who easily turn to crime--simply bec they have no one to look up to and no one to guide them. I mean, it isn't like stealing only happens in poverty. :-(
Let's keep our fingers crossed and pray. Lately, Noynoy has been very ambiguous about his stand on the RH bill. Also, Risa Hontiveros (who promised to re-file it in the Senate once elected) seems to be out of the picture. There will be less pressure for him to consider it as priority agenda. Although Lagman is still there in the Lower House, we are not sure yet what their priorities will be. There's bound to be a changing of the guards with deft political maneuverings..
You are right on the button on that one. The surest way to destroy society is to destroy the family.
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